Endgame
by mockingjade
Summary: Following Voldemort's overthrow of the Ministry, the Aurors have been replaced by the Umbrors, dark wizards hunting the battered remnants of the Order. Draco Malfoy is one such Umbror, and when given orders to bring down the remaining seven Undesirables, he finds control of his perfectly-ordered life spinning away. Dramione AU.


**Chapter One**

With a curse and a jolt, Draco ran from the Fiendfyre pouring out of the building. Around him, the air was filled with the cackle of the flames, frightened shrieks, and over it all, his uncle Rabastan's maniacal laughter. Draco curled his lip is annoyance and stumbled over a pile of rubble as the house behind him collapsed inward on itself with a groan. The screaming grew louder, punctured now with agonized sobs.

He turned to watch the stone structure crumple. To his left, nearer to the fallen building, Rodolphus and Mulciber stood over a witch with limp brown hair, who was sobbing into her hands as the flames roared higher and higher. "Teddy!" the witch cried, her face wracked with tears. "Teddy!"

The despair in her voice rippled over Draco, but he watched impassively as Rodolphus shoved her to her knees. "This is what you get," he rasped over the sound of the flames, "for disgracing the family with your half-breed abomination of a son!" He raised his wand as his brother circled closer, the firelight dancing off his crazed eyes and bared teeth. "_Avada Kedavra!_"

With a flash of green and a soundless rush, Nymphadora Tonks slumped forward, her eyes vacant in death.

"Bella's not going to be happy you beat her to killing her niece, Rolph," Rabastan said with a laugh. Rodolphus sneered and kicked the body closer to the flames. "She'll get over it."

"That's Undesirable Number Nine," said a voice quietly in Draco's ear. With a smirk, he turned to face his partner. Astoria's hair, usually held so sleekly in place, was in disarray, and a gash of red raced across one of her cheekbones. Draco reached out to slide his thumb across the cut.

"There's only eight left then," he murmured, his hand lingering on her cheek.

"Seven," Astoria corrected triumphantly. "There's been word that Bellatrix and her group found McGonagall."

Behind them, the Fiendfyre roared savagely, and a tree fell thunderously in the fire's path. Draco shot a look over his shoulder at the rapidly-approaching flames. "Let's go," he said, taking the witch's arm firmly in his hand. "Pull back!" he called to the others as they danced around the flames. "We're done here!"

One at a time, the others Disapparated until only Draco and Astoria remained. They stood in silence for a moment, watching as the flames surged toward them. "Draco," Astoria said as the blaze drew nearer, her voice urgent. "Draco!"

With an impatient sigh, Draco pulled her arm and twisted into Disapparation with the telltale _crack_!

Within seconds, the body of Nymphadora Tonks was alone with a charred house and rampaging Fiendfyre.

* * *

Draco and Astoria appeared in Draco's office with a _pop_. As soon as they landed, Astoria wrenched herself free of Draco's grasp and smoothed down her hair. "I don't know what's gotten into you lately, Draco," she said crisply, turning toward the door, "but you're getting more and more reckless each mission. What would your mother think?"

He stopped in his tracks and scowled. His mother had passed the year previously, and her death was still an extremely sore topic to the young wizard. "That was low. I'll make you pay for that later, witch."

She leered playfully at him over her shoulder, one hand on the doorknob. "Promise?"

Draco groaned and reached for her. She danced away, but wasn't fast enough. His hands closed over her shoulders and he pulled her roughly to him to bring his lips down onto hers. She kissed him back obligingly, her hands sliding up his chest and smoothing across his shoulders. A moan escaped her and Draco pushed her back onto his desk and tossed his wand to the floor.

"Draco," Astoria panted, her eyes heavily-lidded when they parted for breath. His only answer was to push himself closer to her, so that he stood between her legs, and to pull the elastic from her hair, causing her brown-black locks to cascade around her face. He tilted her face upward and leaned in for another kiss as she began to undo the buttons of his shirt.

A knock on the door caused them both to freeze. "Malfoy, are you back in?" the voice was Goyle's. "Macnair wants to see you in his office."

"I'm a little busy at the moment, Goyle," Draco answered irritably, one of his hands on Astoria's right breast. Absently, he began circling her nipple with his thumb through the fabric of her bra, causing her to arch herself into him. She bit onto his shoulder to keep from moaning, and he smiled down at her.

"Take it up with Macnair, Draco. He's waiting."

Draco cursed and dropped another kiss onto Astoria's upturned face before disentangling himself. With a sigh, he scooped up his wand from where he had dropped it and started to refasten the buttons Astoria had undone. She remained perched on his desk, watching him with her head cocked to one side.

"Presentable?" he asked her, straightening her shirt.

"Too much so," came the answer. "Do you have to go running to your boss every time he calls you?"

"Yes," Draco answered firmly. "He's my boss. He's your boss, too, you know."

"I think you should blow him off," Astoria said, tossing her head. "Stay here with me; it'll be much more fun."

Draco smirked and leaned in close as if to kiss her again. Astoria turned her mouth toward his, but he put his lips to her ear instead. "I told you I'd make you pay for that comment," he whispered. Almost before the words were out of his mouth, he had left the office, pulling the door closed behind him.

After the fall of the Ministry, the Dark Lord had done away with the Aurors and replaced them with Umbrors – dark wizards who hunted down the remaining members of the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore's Army, and any other sort of rebellion that existed. Draco Malfoy had enlisted at once, and had the spent the past five years working his way up through the ranks until he had established himself as the right-hand-wizard of the Head Umbror, Walden Macnair. Draco loved the work. He loved being able to redeem himself and his family after all the times he and his father had failed the Dark Lord. He loved the long hours spent figuring out where the next mission would take them, and above all else he loved the thrill of the chase, the feeling of elation he got when he was in a life-or-death situation, when adrenaline coursed through his veins and all thought was suspended and replaced with pure instinct.

And, of course, he loved Astoria. He had known her vaguely at Hogwarts as the younger sister of his classmate, Daphne, but otherwise he had never bothered with the witch. That had changed when she'd joined the Umbrors and been assigned as Draco's partner. What had started as a forced partnership had seeped into every aspect of his life, and the two were now engaged and had taken over the master suite of Malfoy Manor, as the death of Narcissa Malfoy had driven Lucius into a deep melancholia that bordered the line of madness. Daphne was the perfect mix of charm and cunning, cutthroat, but not as cruel or bloodthirsty as her elder sister.

Macnair was seated at his desk when he bid Draco to enter, his sunken eyes glittering with a malevolence that never dissipated. Draco closed the door behind him and took the chair opposite his boss, putting his feet up on the desk flippantly. Macnair glared at him, but Draco smirked right back at him and ignored the look.

"Nymphadora Tonks has been neutralized."

"Can't you ever give a report without being an arse about it, Malfoy?"

"That would take all the fun out of it," the young wizard drawled. "And it would be _boring_."

Macnair grunted. "Did you hear about McGonagall?"

"Astoria told me."

"That leaves only sev—"

They were interrupted by the door bursting open and Yaxley striding in, clearly in a towering rage. Draco dropped his feet to the floor and stood immediately, his hand on his wand.

"Tell me, Macnair, do you Umbrors _know _that they're supposed to be hunting down the remaining Undesirables?" Yaxley demanded, throwing a newspaper at Macnair. The Head Umbror caught it with a scowl and snarled at his superior. "My Umbrors _are_ hunting down the remaining Undesirables, _sir_, they just took care of that Tonks—"

"If they were doing their job as well as you _thought _they were, Macnair," Yaxley growled, his eyes snapping with fury, "then we wouldn't have situations like this to deal with!" He gestured at the newspaper. Eyes narrowed, Macnair smoothed the paper out to read it. Whatever it said made him go white and then extremely red.

"Yaxley, I—"

"Spare me your excuses, Macnair. This is too much of a cock-up."

Draco snagged the paper away from Macnair to have a look. It was the _City Seer_, one Draco didn't recognize, but he noted that only briefly before his eyes were drawn to the headline. Bold black letters took up half the front page and spelled out: **NEW YORK IS FREE!** Below was a black and white picture of thousands of witches and wizards standing in Times Square, waving, cheering, and dancing in exultation. Draco's stomach sank as he examined it.

". . . bollocks, this isn't _my _fault," Macnair was muttering. "Nott . . . _supposed _to be holding New York . . . wanker should've . . ."

Draco ignored him as he rapidly read the article. "They claim to have been assisted by an 'unknown member of the British Resistance'," he said, interrupting Macnair's half-assed ranting. He glanced up to meet the eyes of the other two wizards.

"The _British Resistance_?" Macnair snarled. "There _is_ no—"

"I know," Draco snapped. "It means that Potter or one of his friends—"

Macnair let out a roar of irritation. "How could they—they're the most wanted—we're supposed to be hunting them down, dammit!" he spluttered.

"Thanks for that, I wasn't sure what our job description was," Draco said sarcastically. "Of course we're supposed to be hunting them down, you arse."

Macnair's hand curled around his wand and red sparks shot out the end of it. Yaxley was quiet and calculating, his eyes cold. "Call in your Umbrors," he said finally. "Wherever they are, bring them in. We're changing tactics, and I'm taking over for this next mission. It's time we squashed Potter and his friends like the bugs they are."

* * *

"We cannot allow for more situations like New York and Berlin," Yaxley was saying, his eyes cold as they swept through the room. It was a day later, and the Umbrors were gathered in one of the lecture halls near their main office, joined by Thicknesse and Snape. Having the one-time Potions Master in their midst did not bode well, Draco knew. Snape was the Dark Lord's right-hand man, his own personal representative. Failure would not be an option for this next assignment. "We _must _regain control of the Territories. Seven Undesirables remain. That is seven too many. Starting tomorrow, you will be sent to all corners of the world to find these insurgents and to bring them to justice. Malfoy, who are we after and where are we looking?"

Draco stepped forward and cleared his throat. "Undesirable Number Seven – Luna Lovegood, status: blood traitor. Aliases unknown. Last seen six months ago in Orléans, France. Lovegood has a bounty of sixty thousand galleons, and is wanted dead or alive for smuggling Mudbloods out of Britain and for the murder of Augustus Rookwood. There are rumors of Mudbloods finding haven in Monaco and Belgium, which we believe Lovegood to be linked with." As he read from the folder he held, a picture of the blonde witch illuminated on the wall behind him.

"Undesirable Number Six – Rubeus Hagrid, status: half-breed. Aliases unknown. Last seen three years ago in Luxembourg City. Wanted for resisting arrest, assisting the other Undesirables to escape Britain, and for rumors of harboring Mudbloods. As Hagrid is part-giant, he is extremely difficult to subdue with spells; approach with caution. He is to be killed on sight. Hagrid is known to have been used as a liaison to the giant community in Belarus before the War began; it is possible he has found shelter there.

"Undesirable Number Five is Ginny Weasley, status: blood traitor. Last known location was Berlin, two months ago." Most of the Umbrors in the room winced. It hadn't gone well in Berlin two months ago. "As we all know, she was captured by Selwyn and brought to the headquarters in Berlin, which she somehow managed to sneak her cohorts into and burn to the ground. A bounty of one hundred and fifty thousand galleons is being offered for Weasley, and she is to be brought in _alive_, to use as bait for Potter. Only known alias is 'The Valkyrie'." Behind him, the She-Weasel's smug face glowed on the wall. "We think it unlikely she would have remained in the Berlin area after the, er, incident.

"Next is Undesirable Number Four – Neville Longbottom." Draco sneered as he read. "Status: blood traitor. Last seen in Brazil eighteen months ago, when he was smuggled out of the country by the Muggle authorities. Wanted for the bombing of the Quetzacotl Quidditch Arena, for harboring and transporting Mudbloods and other blood traitors, for continued resistance of the new regime, and possibly for involvement with the New York rebellion. Longbottom has a bounty of one hundred and fifty galleons, and is wanted dead or alive by the Minister, and notes that should he be brought in alive, he will be handed over to my aunt, Bellatrix." Rodolphus grinned to himself as Rabastan cackled in his maniacal way.

"Ron Weasley is Undesirable Number Three," Draco continued. "Status: blood traitor. Last known location was Sydney, Australia, two and a half years ago, where he was spotted in a riot that broke out. He is wanted in Sydney in connection to the Outpost Robbery, but authorities do not look for him as hard as they should, and it is assumed they have been paid well for their lack of efforts. No known aliases, wanted for resisting arrest, sedition, treason, and for aiding and abetting Potter. He is wanted dead or alive and has a bounty of one hundred and seventy-five thousand galleons. There are rumors of discord coming from Japan, and although we have no concrete information, it is believed that Weasley is at the heart of them.

"Undesirable Number Two – Hermione Granger. Status: Mudblood. Last seen in Scotland during the Battle for Hogwarts, but rumored to have been seen in Madrid, Paris, Rome, Budapest, and Istanbul. Wanted for treason, sedition, blood status, and as a known accomplice of Harry Potter. Worth two hundred and fifty thousand galleons, plus five thousand galleons to anyone who has information leading to her arrest. Granger is to be brought in alive, and used for bait for Potter. She has no known aliases." Granger's bushy head glowed brightly for a minute on the wall behind him, her eyes determined and her mouth set firmly.

"Finally, Undesirable Number One is Harry Potter. Known aliases include The Boy Who Lived, The Chosen One, and Vernon Dudley. Status: half-blood blood traitor. Potter is wanted for questioning in the murder of Albus Dumbledore," Draco read, his stomach twisting as it always did at the mention of the late headmaster, "for resisting arrest, inciting rebellion, treason and sedition, and for the relocation, smuggling, and harboring of Mudbloods and Muggles. He has not been seen or heard of since the Battle for Hogwarts five years ago, and may have been involved in the events in New York. Potter is to be brought back to the Dark Lord _alive_, and is worth a bounty of five hundred thousand galleons, with ten thousand galleons to anyone with information leading to his capture. Potter is known to be extremely dangerous and should be approached with caution." Finally finished, Draco waved his wand toward the wall behind him so that the faces of the Undesirables glowed brightly for a minute before disappearing, and stepped back to his place along the wall. Macnair strode forward to continue.

"We've gone over all the information we have, rehashed every rumor and scrap of data. We have settled on twenty hot zones we will be sending you to in pairs. Everyone leaves tomorrow and already has accommodations set up and a five thousand galleon advance. Completion of your assignment nets you another fifteen thousand galleons, in addition to the bounty of your target." There was quite a bit of excited murmuring at this pronouncement, but Yaxley cleared his throat and the room fell silent. Macnair glared at his Umbrors until they settled down. Once the room was quiet again, he flicked his wand at the stack of parchment on the table before him, causing the rolls of paper to soar throughout the room. "You know the drill; details on your mission, your target, and your destination are enclosed." He paused and sneered around the room at them all. "I need hardly say that any of you who are unsuccessful in this mission will face this displeasure of the entire Ministry upon your return to Britain." He nodded brusquely and turned to speak to Thicknesse.

The other Umbrors got their feet, examining their job assignments and exclaiming over them loudly.

"Fantastic, I get to go after the Weasley bint, I've been wanting to lay my hands on her for two months now, I'll make her pay for disgracing us back in Berlin."

". . . _Mumbai_? Why in Merlin's name would we even have an operative in _Mumbai_? Ugh."

". . . Bounty of one hundred and fifty thousand galleons! I tell you, when this gig is up, I'm retiring and buying meself a nice old house . . ."

Draco ignored them as they funneled out the room, and wandered instead over to where Snape, Yaxley, and Macnair stood talking. Out the corner of his eye, he saw a frowning Astoria pacing before the door, and scowled. He had known she wouldn't be pleased with their separation, but it Yaxley and Macnair had insisted on it. Astoria would be better suited to hunting the Lovegood witch in France than following Draco on his mission, Draco knew. He pushed thoughts of his feisty witch out of his mind and turned to his superiors.

"I feel vulnerable here already without all my Umbrors to maintain the peace," Macnair was complaining. "To be left with just Goyle Sr. and Warrington? They're—"

"Quit your moaning," Yaxley snapped. "It's your own fault we're in this situation; if you'd sent them out like this years ago we wouldn't have this problem."

Macnair swelled up in indignation. "_My _fault? I'm the Head Umbror! Who else could've led them into killing off all but seven of the Undesirables, eh?"

"If your Umbrors were as good as you seem to think they are, Macnair, there wouldn't be _any _Undesirables left!"

"The Umbrors are not to blame," Snape said, his lip curling in distaste as he spoke for the first time since the meeting began, "for their lack of adequate leadership. But that is irrelevant. The Dark Lord wishes me to bring you to him for . . . disciplinary actions. And should young Draco here be successful in his mission," he continued, turning to face the young wizard, "then it is the Dark Lord's wish that upon his return to Britain, Draco shall be promoted to Head Umbror."

Draco inhaled sharply at the pronouncement and stood a little straighter, but otherwise said nothing. Beside him, Macnair had gone pale and was trembling. He shot Draco a malevolent look before turning on his heel and sweeping from the room. Yaxley clapped a hand on Draco's shoulder and followed Macnair out.

"This isn't the Astronomy Tower all over again, right?" Draco asked once he and Snape were alone. "He's not just setting me up for failure, is he?"

Snape tsked. "Now, now Draco, the Dark Lord thinks you have amply proven yourself over the past years and wants to reward you. I would advise you do your best to bring in Granger alive, however; if you fail in this he will be extremely displeased with you."

Draco clenched his jaw and looked down. Failure really _wasn't_ an option.

"I understand that you were the one who insisted upon adding Greece to the list of locations." Glancing back up, Draco noticed that there was an odd glimmer in Snape's black eyes. Almost before he could register it, it was gone and Snape's eyes were as cold and dark as ever. Draco shrugged.

"Granger's family is French on one side and Greek on the other. It's possible she's the one operating in France instead of Lovegood, but doubtful. She may have changed since Hogwarts, but she was always too clever to get caught." He frowned. "Greece is unusually quiet, which makes me suspect it. We're sending Umbrors to Budapest, Rome, and all the other places she was rumored to have visited, but I don't have high hopes for any of them. Something tells me she's on Crete."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Crete?"

Draco nodded. "It's—" he was interrupted by the door opening and an angry Astoria entering the room. "Draco, if you're _quite_ finished, you and I need to have a discussion."

He groaned internally at the look on her face and bid a hasty farewell to the older wizard.

"You're sending me to _Bordeaux_? Where the bloody hell are you going to be stationed?" It was twenty minutes later, and they had Floo'd over to her lavish flat in Diagon Alley. Astoria leaned against the counter, her arms folded and her mouth twisted into a frown as a series of pots and pans whirled around behind her, clanging and banging as they made dinner.

"I'm going to Crete with Goyle."

"_Crete_?" she screeched. "What in Merlin's name do you expect to find in _Crete_?"

"Granger," he answered simply. She narrowed her eyes as one of the pans behind her started smoking. "The Mudblood?" she spat.

"Astoria, your alfredo sauce—"

"Don't change the subject, Draco! Why are you going after the Mudblood? And why are you taking Goyle?"

Draco sighed to himself. _Hell hath no fury like Astoria angry_, he though glumly. It was not the first time he had had the thought, and he was certain it wouldn't be the last. "I'm taking Goyle with me because Macnair assigned us to go together. Look, Lovegood's a wildcard, yes, but Granger is every bit as dangerous as Potter or Longbottom."

Astoria snorted and turned to salvage her alfredo sauce.

"Don't worry, Astoria," he continued, getting up from the barstool he had been lounging on and capturing her in his arms. "You just bring in Lovegood and I'll deal with Granger, and then I'll get a nice promotion and a big fat pay raise, and we'll finally be able to afford the wedding."

Astoria's eyes lit up, as they did whenever she thought about their upcoming nuptials. She released the burnt saucepan and tilted her head back to kiss him. "How are you going to manage bringing in the Mudblood, though?"

"Don't worry," Draco said with a wicked grin as he tugged her toward the bedroom, all thoughts of dinner forgotten, "I have a plan."


End file.
